As a 46-yr-old nurse working long shifts in a busy Dublin hospital, I am sick and tired of the demands of the Luas drivers.
Their current and indeed proposed strikes should be enough for the country to be up in arms over the damage to the economy with workers late or possibly missing work and especially the young people trying to get to their exams.
I feel especially sorry for the Leaving Cert kids, they’ve enough pressure and stress on their plate rather than the added nonsense of wondering will the Luas be available on that given day.
What I propose is for each and every Luas “driver” to go into an hospital across the city and shadow a nurse for a 12 hour shift.
See will their “demands” be matched by nurses having to attend to the sick, the dying, the RTA’s (Road Traffic Accidents), the helpless, the homeless and the “footless”.
Let’s see how they feel having to clean up every form of waste imaginable. Let’s see how they feel when they’re exhausted from being on their feet all day and not having time to stop for lunch.
Let’s see how they feel when they’re body says no but the clock says yes.
Let’s see how they feel when they’ve already 10 patients screaming in agony begging for help, you’re two doctors short and then an emergency bursts through the door needing all hands on deck.
Let’s see how they feel doing all this for FIVE THOUSAND EURO less than what’re they’re CURRENTLY on!
If I knew I could get €36,000 for sitting down all day, every day, pushing and pulling a lever… well I think I’d reconsider my CAO form.